IDF soldiers stand guard after the June 16, 2017 attack in Jerusalem.
(Flash90)

Palestinian terrorists murdered Staff-Sergeant Hadas Malka, a 23-year old Border Policewoman, in a terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday night.

At approximately 7:30 PM on the Sabbath evening, two Arab terrorists armed with knives and a homemade Carl Gustav sub-machine gun attacked Jews at Zedekiah’s Cave, injuring four. A third terrorist armed with a knife attacked Malka who was stationed at the nearby Damascus Gate. She struggled with the terrorist for several seconds but was unable to draw here weapon. Malka was responding to the first attack when she was killed.

Hadas Malka (Facebook)

All three terrorists were killed by security forces at the scene. All of the terrorists were from the village of Deir Abu-Mashal, a village near Ramallah and had been previously arrested for security related offenses.

The attack comes on the third Friday of the month-long Ramadan fast at a time when thousands of Muslims were making their way to the Temple Mount to pray. Ramadan, claimed to be a period of increased devotion, has in recent years been a period of increased Islamist terror. Israel lightened security and travel restrictions last month for the Muslim holiday but has revoked some travel permits in response to the attack.

SITE Intelligence Group, a company that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadist organizations, said the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed the attackers as part of their organization. If true, this will be the first time ISIS has perpetrated an attack in Israel.

Hamas released a statement, claiming credit for the attack and denying that ISIS was involved.

“The attack in Jerusalem is new proof that the Palestinian people continue their revolution against the occupiers and that the intifada will continue until complete freedom is achieved,” the statement read.

Fatah, the political party of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned Israel for killing the attackers, calling it a “war crime”.

Fatah spokesperson Osama al-Kawasme said in a statement, “We condemn the war crime carried out by Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem against three Palestinian teens. The international community’s silence emboldened Israel to further spill the blood of Palestinians,” he concluded.

On Saturday, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon demanded the Security Council condemn the attack.

“The payments made by the Palestinian Authority to terrorists and their families encourage heinous attacks like we saw today,” Dannon said. “The Palestinian leadership continues to pledge their support for peace, while making monthly payments to terrorists and educating their children to hate. The international community must demand that the Palestinians put an end to these intolerable acts of violence,” he added.

UN Middle East peace process coordinator Nickolay Mladenov released a statement on Saturday condemning the attack.

“I am appalled that once again some find it appropriate to justify such attacks as ‘heroic.’ They are unacceptable and seek to drag everyone into a new cycle of violence,” Mladenov said.

About the Author

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz is a features writer for Breaking Israel News. He made Aliyah to Israel in 1991 and served in the IDF as a combat medic. Berkowitz studied Jewish law and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He has worked as a freelance writer and two works of fiction, The Hope Merchant and Dolphins on the Moon, are available on Amazon. He lives in the Golan Heights with his wife and their four children.